Museums

News about Museums, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 17, 2015

Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, Iowa, one of country's last free-standing museums devoted to single baseball player, closes after failing to meet operating expenses since 2010 death of former Cleveland Indians pitcher; museum building will be used as city hall and memorabilia will be distributed to various locations. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Art museums across United States, including Metropolitan Museum of Art, are banning use of so-called 'selfie sticks' within their galleries; fear that long, pointy devices, used to enhance self-portraits on cameras and phones, could pose danger to collections and infringe on experience of other visitors. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Ken Johnson Critic's Notebook reflects that many art museums now offer detailed and informative websites that often feature their entire collection online along with related materials; notes that this represents new and positive direction as museums seek to expand their audiences. MORE

Jan. 28, 2015

Smithsonian Institution says it may open new 40,000-square-foot exhibition space in London in 2021; gallery, if built, would be institution's first-ever permanent exhibition space outside United States. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Museums are increasingly hosting live performance art and new buildings are being designed to include performance spaces. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Italy launches international search for directors of several of its most important museums, country's first effort of the kind; goal is to bring about system shake-up and allow directors more influence and ability to modernize cultural institutions. MORE

Jan. 11, 2015

Growing number of wealthy art collectors are establishing private tax-exempt exhibition spaces, often within a stone's throw from their homes; status allows them to deduct full market value of their artworks, and the cost of their upkeep, while retaining de facto control of the collections and limiting the volume of visitors to the space; critics worry that taxpayers are subsidizing multimillion-dollar art purchases with little public benefit in return. MORE

Dec. 30, 2014

Museums Association in Britain tightens code of ethics and imposes tougher sanctions in hopes of discouraging struggling museums from selling off antiquities. MORE

Nov. 29, 2014

Edward Rothstein reviews Bletchley Park museum of British wartime code-breaking, which has completed first stage of planned renovation; exhibitions are experiencing surge of interest thanks to many recent movies, television shows and books on subject. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Items from collection of Napoleon's belongings are sold at auction near Paris, including hat that brings about $2.4 million; rising prices are making it difficult for French museums to compete in bidding for memorabilia. MORE

Nov. 16, 2014

Elite campuses nationwide have emerged from recession riding a multibillion-dollar wave of architecturally ambitious arts facilities; trend is exemplified by radical overhaul of the Harvard Art Museums by architect Renzo Piano, which cost roughly $400 million; boom comes at a time of unprecedented criticism of how colleges teach and how they spend money, amid push to measure what students learn. MORE

Oct. 28, 2014

Memo From Paris; Louis Vuitton Foundation formally opens to public $135 million museum; opening, which comes on heels of re-opening of state-run Picasso museum, underscores place that France, and Paris in particular, holds as beacon of art and culture; country's underlying political and economic troubles distract from Paris's moment of celebration. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Oct. 26, 2014

Brooklyn Museum has a long history of supporting local artists, idea that is taking root in museums across the country in effort to better engage communities and create personal connection to art. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Traditional historical societies around the United States are rebranding themselves with modern names to attract visitors. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Large number of art museums currently use, or are developing, smartphone and tablet apps to enhance visitor experience. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Professional football teams are increasingly adding museums that hail achievements of their franchise; many such museums are located in stadiums, bringing visitors all year, rather than just on game days. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Art museums, recognizing need to appeal to modern audiences, are increasingly embracing technology within their walls; museum officials discuss how various technologies can fuse together physical and digital art experiences to form a hybrid that reflects life today; some specific technologies described. MORE

Oct. 12, 2014

Stephanie Rosenbloom The Getaway column urges travelers to focus on artwork that speaks to them in museums they are visiting, rather than crowding around timeless masterpieces. MORE

Sep. 7, 2014

Array of museum shows opening nationwide for fall season is almost embarrassment of riches. MORE

Sep. 7, 2014

Busy and well-balanced 2014-2015 art season is anchored by old masters, with new art stars also well-represented. MORE

Aug. 27, 2014

Santander Journal; new Centro Botin contemporary art center in Santander, Spain, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano is the latest private museum emerging in Europe that matches star architects and dramatic designs with billionaires who have ambitions and brands to promote; building is fully paid for by the family foundation of Emilio Botin III, third-generation president of Banco Santander. MORE

Aug. 11, 2014

Smithsonian Summer Showdown pits some of institution's most iconic items in lighthearted competition; dozen contenders in four brackets, including art, culture, history and science, will face off in contest Smithsonian hopes will show off lighter side of what is often considered a buttoned-up organization. MORE

Jul. 29, 2014

Museums throughout Europe are struggling with increasing attendance as visitors line up to see master works, creating obstacles to preserving priceless art; institutions are implementing measures to manage crowds and problems they bring, but generally do not like keeping caps on attendance, since it is much needed to support revenue and maintenance. MORE

Jul. 29, 2014

Lost Museum, exhibit at Brown University's Rhode Island Hall in Providence, recreates Jenks Museum, long-forgotten natural history collection curated by alumnus John Whipple Potter Jenks in late 1800s; exhibit, collaboration between students and New York artist Mark Dion, is partly historical and partly fanciful reenactment of largely lost institution. MORE

Jul. 23, 2014

Plans for Museum for African Art in New York are scaled back, following years of over-ambition and delays; decision to cut back highlights differences between blockbuster cultural institutions with unlimited funds to complete their visions, and everyone else. MORE

Jul. 17, 2014

Oklahoma-based Green family, which owns Hobby Lobby chain, is planning to build Bible museum on site of Washington Design Center near National Mall; proposed museum is scheduled to open in 2017, and raises concerns it will be more about evangelizing than educating. MORE

Jun. 30, 2014

Blindedbythelight.com, online museum displaying over 300 pieces of Bruce Springsteen memorabilia, is set to open in late June; museum was created by Michael Crane and is intended to tell parts of Springsteen's story that fans might otherwise not see. MORE

Jun. 27, 2014

Sixty-foot sinkhole that devoured eight landmark cars at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky, also created a hot new tourist magnet; since February 2014 collapse, attendance has increased 59 percent over same period last year. MORE

Jun. 25, 2014

Filmmaker George Lucas, who struggled to get permission from officials in San Francisco to build a private museum dedicated to his collection of illustrations, comic art, graphic art, animation and other popular art forms, will instead build the museum in Chicago, where he lives part time. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Photo retoucher Dave Krugman has formed unusual alliance with several New York City cultural institutions, gaining VIP access in exchange for helping them, free of charge, to build their profiles on social media platform Instagram; institutions count on Krugman to help them attract younger demographic. MORE

May. 15, 2014

Many older Americans work, and in some cases find a second career, as historical interpreters at living history museums or as docents at historic houses; while some are paid, most are volunteers. MORE

May. 8, 2014

Ten institutions, including Brooklyn Botanic Garden, will be honored at the White House with the National Medal for Museum and Library Service; it is nation's highest award for museums and libraries. MORE

May. 8, 2014

House approves commission to study building a women’s history museum in Washington, advancing an effort that has been stalled in Congress for more than a decade. MORE

Apr. 30, 2014

Developer Sharif El-Gamal says he has downsized his plans for $100 million, 15-story Muslim community center near World Trade Center site that became lightning rod amid national controversy; says he will now build a smaller, three-story museum dedicated to Islam, and has commissioned French architect Jean Nouvel to design building and make plan more attractive to neighbors. MORE

Apr. 22, 2014

Helene Zera, entertainer who lives in Greenwich Village, has been planning a Museum of American Humor, to be sited in New York City, for years; New York State Board of Regents has granted her a provisional charter, and an advisory panel has been assembled. MORE

Apr. 13, 2014

Lucrative, little-known legal tax maneuver that allows American art collectors to purchase art works tax-free from other states if they loan them to museums in tax-friendly states has produced pipeline of art moving across the country; practice, which allows buyers to sidestep sales taxes and use taxes, has generated debate about public access to art and the cost to taxpayers. MORE

Apr. 9, 2014

Native American Zuni tribe from New Mexico is making moral plea for European museums to return art and artifacts considered sacred to tribe; Zuni and other Native American tribes have taken advantage of federal legislation that requires all United States institutions to return such ceremonial objects to individual tribes or risk losing funding, but laws do not apply in Europe. MORE

Apr. 2, 2014

Edward Rothstein reviews National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. MORE

Mar. 24, 2014

Franklin School in Washington, DC, vacant Reconstruction-era public high school, could become an art museum without a permanent collection, or kunsthalle, one of just a handful on the East Coast; Washington officials are working with organization SITE Santa Fe to negotiate museum contract, which will go to the City Council in the fall. MORE

Mar. 22, 2014

Editorial applauds progress of plan to create long-overdue Women's History Museum on National Mall in Washington, DC, following House Republicans' approval of vote on study commission for museum. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Modern day ideals and assumptions often skew historical exhibits at museums by imposing viewpoint not in keeping with the original time period or events being represented. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Museums continue to increase their cultural event offerings in hopes of wooing younger patrons to their institutions; recognize that as boomers fade from scene they will need charitable support of new generation to survive. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Globalization of art through museums is often better served by smaller, more nimble institutions; recent staged protest at Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan regarding their outpost being built in Abu Dhabi highlights difficulties large institutions face, as their actions are more visible and therefore more scrutinized. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Curators, recognizing an untapped potential, are exploring vast amount of documents, artworks and other items of note held in museum storage areas; visiting scholars and better collaboration between institutions are making such discoveries more commonplace. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Museums like American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan and Field Museum in Chicago are increasingly using video-game technology to create interactive exhibitions that engage visitors in new learning experiences. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Ideas for new museums abound, but optimistic founders and curators find it difficult to fund opening a new space without a major benefactor to underwrite the project; some individuals are finding success through crowdfunding and grant money. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Museums get creative with ways to reuse and re-purpose items from past exhibits. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Crowdfunding, which has been huge benefit for independent artists needing financial help, is being explored and implemented by some museums with mixed results. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

American Alliance of Museums report Museums on Call: How Museums Are Addressing Health Issues finds that more museums are dedicating time and resources to promote health literacy, research, medical training and disease prevention. MORE

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The United Nations body that protects world heritage sites says a recent Islamic State attack on an Iraqi antiquities museum was "appalling" and designed to threaten regional stability. Mana Rabiee reports.